Schengen Visa Itinerary

If you need a Schengen Visa, then it is mandatory to get a Europe travel insurance to apply for the Visa. However, even if you don’t need a Schengen Visa, but an ETIAS, it is recommended to buy travel insurance for Europe before your trip.

European travel insurance is always a good choice if you want security and peace of mind in any unexpected situation. Lost baggage? You’re covered. Flight delay? All set. Medical emergency? No worries.

Whatever your visa situation, get some kind of European travel insurance coverage when you visit Europe. As we’ve mentioned above, it’s always best to be prepared and protected in case of any unexpected situation.

WHAT KIND OF TRAVEL INSURANCE DO I NEED FOR A SCHENGEN VISA?

As we’ve covered above, travel insurance for a Schengen Visa is mandatory. You won’t get your visa without it! However, not any travel insurance is valid to get your visa. A minimum requirement should be met in order your visa is approved.

Here are the Schengen Visa travel insurance requirements:

•           A minimum coverage of €30,000 for medical emergencies and accidents: keep in mind that European medical expenses aren’t cheap. If you buy cheap European travel insurance that only covers the minimum of 30,000 euros and you end up needing an operation that costs €50,000, you’ll have to pay €20,000 out of pocket. Do yourself a favor and shell out a bit more for extra coverage and security.

•           Coverage of repatriation fees in case of medical incidents or death: if you suddenly need to return to your country, your insurance has to cover the cost.

•           Coverage of all 26 Schengen Area countries that lasts the entire length of your trip: Even if you’re not planning to visit all 26 countries (which would be mega ambitious!), you need to be covered in all of them. Make sure you check the fine print of your insurance policy to ensure you don’t have any problems when you apply for your visa.

THESE DOCUMENTS ARE REQUIRED TO GET A SCHENGEN VISA:

If you’re traveling to the Schengen Area and need a SchengenVisa, these are the documents required:

•           Visa application form

•           Two recent photos

•           A valid passport

•           Full trip reservation or itinerary

•           Travel insurance for Europe

•           Evidence of where you’re staying

•           Evidence of sufficient finances

•           Evidence that you’ve paid the visa fee

This means that countries in the Schengen Area are the countries in Europe where you absolutely need travel insurance. For countries that aren’t in the Schengen Area, you should check with the specific embassy of that country for document requirements.

Proof of Accommodation for Visa Application. … An Evidence of a Place to Stay, such as Hotel Booking or Reservation, An Invitation from The Host with a Copy of His Passport (proof of sponsorship), An evidence of a pre-paid tour with details of your payment to the tour operator.

Proof of Accommodation for Visa is one of the essentialrequirements for applying visa, requested by the consulates and embassies of different countries. This particular visa requirements for Indian citizens is more importantly, necessary while travelling to Europe.

When applying for a visa to the Schengen Area of countries that have abolished border arrangements between each other you will need to provide supporting documents. These include Schengen Visa proof of accommodation documentation.

What documents do I need for Schengen Visa proof of accommodation?

In the list of supporting documents for Schengen VisaApplication is a Proof of Accommodation as well as Flight Reservation. The diplomatic office of the relevant Schengen country has to see if you have an agreed or prearranged place to stay for the duration of your visit in the destined country.

The Embassy/Consulate does that through the following recognized forms:

•           An Evidence of a Place to Stay, such as Hotel Booking or Reservation,

•           An Invitation from The Host with a Copy of His Passport (proof of sponsorship),

•           An evidence of a pre-paid tour with details of your payment to the tour operator

Arisen by the Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 of The European Parliament And of The Council of 13 July 2009, establishing a Community Code on Visas known as “Visa Code”, Proof of Accommodation is a rule of the visa application procedure that each Schengen country ought to apply to their foreign visa seekers.

Schengen Visa proof of accommodation rules are applied by each country in the Schengen Areaas one of the requirements of proving you can support yourself during your stay.

You will be required to submit these documents as part of your Schengen Visa application and have them with you for your visa application interview appointment.

Proving you have booked a hotel during your stay

One of the simplest ways to prove you have a place to stay in a Schengen Area country is to provide a booking reservation in the form of email confirmation from the hotel or hostel where you have reserved your bed or room.

You should be careful when checking if your confirmation number is valid, as the authorities will investigate this information and will refuse your application, possibly with a further penalty, if it does not check out. Therefore, you should contact the hotel via email or over the phone to ensure this is correct.

On the other hand, a hotel booking or reservation is done in most cases to approve an empty room kept for you until your arrival. You do not need to pay a full price in order to book that room, just a small amount of money in order to get a document from the hotel that confirms that you have a saved room in the hotel for specific dates.

The hotel booking confirmation document shall contain the following details:

·         Name and surname of person who booked the room

·         The address of the hotel

·         Contact details of the hotel as phone number, email and fax

·         The dates for which the room has been reserved

You will be charged with a small amount of money for booking the room. However, this is better than fully paying the room, despite that you do not know whether you will be granted with a visa for sure or not. In case you do not and you have paid your stay, you will lose all your money. Whereas, despite of the fact that there are hotels that offer reimbursement in case of cancellation without charging you anything, these hotels are 5 to 10 times more expensive than normally.

In many cases the embassies simply ask for a Travel Itinerary, which should consist of both, the Flight Itinerary (or the itinerary for other means of travel as applicable), the hotel booking  as well as a list of the places you willbe visiting and the dates when you will be visiting them.

Why do Embassies Ask for Flight Itinerary & Hotel Booking?

The visa embassies acknowledge the fact that it is not wise to purchase a flight ticket or pay a hotel stay before you get your visa. Even if you are suggested to get one, which you can avail “free cancellation”, don’t do so since flight tickets which you can cancel are at least 25% more expensive than non-cancellation flights. The case is same with hotel rooms, as explained above.

Even the European Union’s visa consulate advises those applying for a Schengen visa not to purchase real tickets but onlytravel itinerary and hotel booking instead. Despite of that, some others oblige the applicants to purchase and present their original air ticket when going to collect their visa, as the last condition.

You may ask yourself why embassies around the world are asking for such document, when it can be cancelled very easily. Well, the reasons are as following:

To prove you will not be overstaying

The main reason why these two requirements are so important for embassies around the world, is because this is just another way to make sure you will be going back to your home country upon the end of your visa validity. Because the flight itinerary shows the dates of your arrival and departure, and the hotel booking reconfirms them, this assures the embassy that you have no intention to remain in their country after the expiration of your visa. It also supports the reason of traveling that you have presented to the consular officers.

Deciding the length of the visa

The second reason is that it helps the consular officers decide on the length of you visa validity. Upon having the itinerary in their hand, they have it clear exactly how many days you need to remain in their country, thus they avoid limiting you to stay for less than you need or giving you a visa that exceeds your needs.

Deciding at what embassy you should apply

This is valid only for those applying for a Schengen Visa.A common Schengen visa rule says that the visitors that plan to go through two or more countries of the Schengen Zone must apply at the embassy of the country where they will be staying longer. Therefore, when you present the itinerary and the hotel booking, you actually prove that you are applying at the right embassy.

To apply for a visa to Europe you must be either a citizen of the country you are in, or on a valid residence permit issued by that country. Most of the countries do not accept Schengen visa applications from non-residents.

These are the primary requirements that you should have when applying for a visa:

1. Duly Filled and Signed Application Form;

2. Passport photos in conformity with the photo specifications shall be attached;

3. Duly filled and signed document checklist; (Please visit the website of the country where you will apply or VFS Global, if applicable to get a copy of #1 and #3, try searching for the specific country here); and

4. Original passport/s and photocopies of each page with visa and stamp;

5. Cover letter addressed to the consul – if applicable, depends on the country;

6. Travel detail which includes the flight reservation and hotel reservations (need not be paid yet, so it is recommended that you just make a hotel reservation instead of staying at a friend’s house for purposes of visa application), as well as your day-to-day itinerary.

7. Bank Certification AND Bank Statement – please take note that these are entirely different documents (READ MORE: HERE) with the receipt for the last 6 months. If you’re not the one paying for your trip, then submit an affidavit, preferably in Red Ribbon Authentication as well as the financial documents of your sponsor instead; (READ MORE: Our guide on SHOW MONEY)

8. PSA Birth Certificate or Marriage Contract, if applicable;

9. Travel insurance that covers the entire duration of your intended stay with minimum coverage EUR 30,000. You can use AXA Schengen as it’s really cheap and they are accredited by the Embassies.

10. Visa Fee – EURO 80

Your supporting documents will vary depending on your source of income.

1. For employees– Certificate of Employment with monthly salary approved leave of absence and income tax return.

2. For Self-Employed including Digital Nomads– Business Registration for the current and previous year and Income Tax Return (That’s why you need to register with the BIR! Income Tax Return is very important!).

3. For Students– Enrollment Certificate from your school approved leave of absence (if applicable), and Affidavit of Support from parents (preferably in Red Ribbon Authentication).

4. For minors– The minor’s birth certificate; The application form has to be signed by both parents; In cases where one parent has full custody over the child, the family court order has to be attached; Certified copies of ID/passport of both parents; and the notarized parental authorization signed by both parents or guardians is attached if the minor is to be traveling alone; and

5. For Household Helpers and Personal Assistants– A Special List of Requirements is provided. Please visit the website of the country where you will apply, if applicable to get a copy of the special list of requirements as it might vary.

Before talking about Schengen visa types, what is the meaning of Schengen itself? Schengen is a treaty and an agreement ratified by various European countries that include as the European Union member to end border checkpoints and control the travel of citizens of those countries. Those countries established Schengen area, it is a special area that allows EU member states to freely travel and move from one country to another. In order to travel freely within Schengen Area, visitors need Schengen Visa. They can use this Schengen visa until its validity is ended or exceed the limit of the period. There are three of Schengen Visa types issued by certain embassy or consulate in every Schengen countries. They are Uniform Schengen Visas (USV), Limited territorial validity visas (LTV), and National Visas. Different Schengen visa types have different rules and restrictions. It depends on the nature of traveling and other relevant circumstances.

UNIFORM SCHENGEN VISAS

Uniform Schengen Visas:

This visa permits the citizens from other countries to transit and resides in the desired territory. They are able to stay in the desired country for a certain period of time with maximum 90 days in the six-month period. It starts from the date when the person enters the country. According to the purpose of traveling, the Uniform Schengen visa only applicable for two categories A and C. A category is for Airport Transit Visa and C category is for Short term visa. This airport transit visa is for the citizens who are traveling to the non-Schengen state during a change of flights in a Schengen Country airport. Short-term visa is for foreign countries citizens who want to stay in other Schengen countries for certain period of time depending on its validity. In addition, the Uniform Schengen Visa only works for these following countries:

1.         Austria

2.         Belgium

3.         Czech Republic

4.         Denmark

5.         Estonia

6.         Finland

7.         France

8.         Germany

9.         Greece

10.       Hungary

11.       Iceland

12.       Italy

13.       Latvia

14.       Lithuania

15.       Luxembourg

16.       Malta

17.       Netherlands

18.       Norway

19.       Poland

20.       Portugal

21.       Slovakia

22.       Slovenia

23.       Spain

24.       Sweden

25.       Switzerland.

LIMITED TERRITORIAL VALIDITY VISAS

Limited territorial validity visas:

Different with the Uniform Schengen Visa, this visa only allows the person to travel in the Schengen states that have issued the visa or certain Schengen states that have been specifically mentioned when the person applying for the visa. Except for the Schengen countries, the limited territorial validity visa is invalid to any Schengen countries which are not being specified for. A person who brings this visa cannot enter or transit through any Schengen countries that do not become an official destination. Usually, this type of visa is issued for particular reasons such as for humanitarian reasons or the person is under international obligation as an exception to the Uniform Schengen Visa system.

NATIONAL VISA

National Visa:

National Visa is one of the Schengen visa types that commonly granted for the person with D category. This category is for individuals who go to other Schengen countries for studying, working, or permanently residing. A person with a National visa can reside or stay in the Schengen countries for a certain period of time. After the period ends, he or she shall return to their home country. This visa is known as multi-entry national visa that allows its holder to go or out of the particular Schengen countries as they like. They also can travel to all of the Schengen countries without additional visa requirements.

To get a national visa or multi entry national visa, the persons must meet at least on of these criteria:

1.         A Foreign student with visa is no more than one year.

2.         A Foreign student that is about to start a full course of study in the Schengen countries for one-year period.

3.         A person who work in the institution or research center in Schengen countries.

4.         A professional who is traveling to any Schengen countries. It can be a sportsman, an artist or any professional who come to share their expertise.

5.         The person in emergency cases such as medical condition.

Remember that under the regulation of the European Parliament and the Council, all of the Schengen visa types above only valid for no more than 90 days during 180-day period.

The best Travel Insurance for Schengen Visa depends on each individual traveller, and what type of traveling they intend to do. Are you backpacking, flash packing, or going on a Bear Grylls Adventure?

Like we mentioned before, many insurance companies will have a fine print that stretches over numerous pages explaining the terms of the insurance. Even if it is a boring task, we strongly recommend that you read through all of these terms so you know exactly what your insurance covers and what it doesn’t. No insurance companies will cover any sickness that was present before the trip commenced, for example chronic asthma, joint pain or any other disease that did not occur on the trip itself.

Remember to also check if your Travel Insurance for Schengen Visa covers damage or loss of personal belongings, and if it covers the other party should you have an accident involving other people as well.

Of course, none of us want to end up in a situation where we have to use our travel insurance. However, one of our staff here at Schengen visa flight reservation actually had to use her travel insurance twice already! None of the incidents were severe, but hospital visits were required both times, and would have ended up costing thousands of dollars had she not had the insurance. So not only is it mandatory for your Tourist Schengen Visa Application, it’s also very risky not to have travel insurance, both for the sake of your health and your wallet!

If you have any questions or doubts about what to do about your Travel Insurance for Schengen Visa, just drop us a line on WhatsApp or send us an e-mail, and we will get right back to you with all the information you need about flight reservations for visa applications, visa consultation or advice and info on our Travel Insurance for Schengen Visa.

Who Provides Schengen Travel Insurance?

Usually, travellers purchase an individual Schengen travel insurance policy forthe days planned to spend in Europe at the rightful insurance provider.Make sure your company you choose is licensed and accepted in the Schengen country you will travel to. You can buy Schengen Visa Insurance from Europe Assistance or AXA. Both companies are accepted by European Embassies and Consulates worldwide. They will support you to cancel insurance without fee if your visa has been rejected.

Types of Schengen Visa Entry

According to the purpose of traveling the Uniform Schengen Visa applies to all of the two categories, “A” and “C”.

•           “A” category stands for the Airport Transit Visa which allows its holder to travel through the international zone of the Schengen country Airport without entering the Schengen Area. Airport transit visa is mandatory for the citizens travelling from one non-Schengen state to another non-Schengen state through a change of flights in a Schengen country airport.

•           “C” category stands for a Short-term visa which allows its holder to reside in a Schengen Area for a certain period of time depending on the visa validity. This particular category, according to the holder’s purpose of the travel can be obtained in a form of:

3 Types of Entry

o          Single-entry visa,

o          Double-entry visa and

o          Multiple-entry visa.

You can apply for single, double, or multiple entries into the Schengen Area. You will find your number of permitted entries on your visa sticker.

1. Single Entry – A single-entry Schengen visa allows you to cross an external Schengen border to enter the Schengen Area only once in the 180-day period in which your visa is valid.

Single entry will be indicated on your visa sticker like this: “Number of Entries 1.”

2. Double Entry – A double-entry Schengen visa allows you to cross an external Schengen border to enter the Schengen Area up to two times in the 180-day period in which your visa is valid.

Double entry will be indicated on your visa sticker like this: “Number of Entries 2.”

3. Multi-Entry – A multi-entry Schengen visa allows you to cross an external Schengen border to enter the Schengen Area multiple times in the period in which your visa is valid.

Multiple entries will be indicated on your visa sticker like this: “Number of Entries MULT.”

More on Multi-Entry Schengen Visas

General Requirements

According to Article 21(5) of Regulation 810/2009 (Visa Code), you may be eligible for a multi-entry Schengen visa if you prove:

•           “the need or justify the intention to travel frequently and/or regularly,”

•           “your integrity and reliability, in particular the lawful use of previous uniform visas or visas with limited territorial validity,”

•           “your economic situation in the country of origin,” and

•           “your genuine intention to leave the territory of the Member States before the expiry of the visa for which you have applied.”

If you are deemed eligible for a multi-entry Schengen visa, you can expect your Schengen visa to be valid for a period between 6 months and 5 years. The validity period depends on the issuing state’s regulations and your qualifications.

Schengen Visa Application Processing Time:

Applications shall be decided on within 15 calendar days of the date of the lodging of an application which is admissible. This period may be extended up to a maximum of 30 calendar days in individual cases, notably when further scrutiny of the application is needed. Exceptionally, when additional documentation is needed in specific cases, the period may be extended up to a maximum of 60 calendar days.

How Many Times Can One Use Schengen VISA?

On the visa sticker the “number of entries” is indicated: “1”, “2” or “MULT”. The holder of multiple entry visa (“MULT”) may enter the Schengen area the unlimited number of times during the validity of the visa while respecting the rules on the duration of stay.

Important Information

•           Charges Incurred for the change in Jurisdiction for visa interview processing vary from Rs 1200 to Rs 2000.(For Instance, one belongs to Mumbai region but he/she wishes to apply for Visa Interview from Delhi region has to bear some additional charges)  And the courier charges to receive the visa at your place also varies from Rs 600 to Rs 1200 depending upon the region you are applying to.

•           Passport has to be issued within the last 10 years and needs to have at least 2 empty pages and 3 months Validity after the scheduled return. Handwritten passports are not acceptable.

•           Passports with observations regarding the front-page data cannot be accepted (name observations, validity, date of birth etc)

•           The Submission of your visa application can be done either by the applicant himself/herself or through any authorized person who bears an authorization letter and photo-ID.

•           The application would be sent to the Consulate the next working day after submission at the Visa Application Center in Mumbai. Whereas the applications submitted in Pune, Ahmadabad and Goa would be sent to the Consulate a day later to the next working day.

•           Holders of Indian Diplomatic Passports do not need a visa to travel to Germany for a short-term visit of up to 90 days.

•           The processing time for certain nationals, including holders of Indian IC (Tibet), Afghanistan, Nigeria, Iraq and Iran (among others) is at least 10 days.

•           Visa Fees, VFS Service charge & Value-Added Service charges, once paid, are non – refundable.

For more information, Please visit: https://www.schengenvisaitinerary.com/

Whenever you plan traveling to Germany or any other country in Schengen Area, dealing with a pack of requirements to get Schengen or any visa is inescapable. Amongest many other things to arrange for a successful visa application, Booking or Reserving flight itinerary together with hotel reservation, has to be on your top list.

The visa consulates acknowledge the fact that it is not wise to purchase a flight ticket before you get your visa. Even if you do so you are suggested to get one which you can avail “free cancellation”. But flight tickets which you can cancel are at least 25% more expensive than non-cancellation flights. So, the European Union’s visa consulate advice has been amended.

“Round trip reservation or itinerary with dates and flight numbers specifying entry and exit from Schengen state. Some Schengen authorities accept the itinerary when applying for the visa but request the original air ticket when visa is collected “.

So, it is clear that you can submit a flight itinerary or reservation to get your visa and once your visa is confirmed, then buy the actual tickets.

How to get flight itinerary & Hotel bookings for visa application online?

You can use the visa consultation services of a travel agent or find one online. Schengenvisaitinerary is a website where you can get a support for most of your visa requirements such as flight itineraries, hotel reservations along with free consultation over email.

Flight Itinerary:

Flight itinerary is a confirmed document which can be verified online about the schedule of a given flight. This contains the following information:

•           Airport IATA code with complete arrival and departure schedule of the flight including terminals.

•           Airline number and its flight duration’s, its complete schedule as it appears in a flight ticket in PDF format.

Usually you would be able to get a flight itinerary from a travel agent. This has to come from GDS platforms such as Amadeus, Sabre etc.

Flight Reservation:

A flight reservation is the arrangement you make through a personal reservation number, to save a place in the airplane for traveling to your destination, typically with a week validity. In case you do not purchase the ticket within a week period, your reserved seat will be cancelled any longer.

Hotel Reservation:

A Hotel reservation is done in most cases to approve an empty room kept for you upon your arrival; it does not consist of paying the total accommodation price and in case you get your visa rejected and you will not be completing the total payment your reservation will be invalid after the exceed of reserved room deadline.

How Do I Get A Hotel Booking Confirmation Letter for Germany Visa Application?

There are different travel companies and hotel booking agencies which offer Hotel Booking Confirmations, but only a few of them offer cheap and genuine services. When choosing a serious hotel booking agency, you have less to worry about when making the reservation.

Besides, the entire process of booking your hotel is easy and is done in only a few following simple steps:

•           Go to this website

•           Choose the product Hotel Booking Plan Only

•           Fill the empty fields with the required information about you and your period of stay

•           Proceed the online payment

•           Following, as soon as your payment will be confirmed an e-mail with all the details of your Hotel reservation will be sent to your inbox

•           Print the email and provide it to the diplomatic office in your reserved visa interview session.

Schengen visa embassies and consulates ask for a compulsory flight reservation document when making a visa application. It is used to confirm that the applicant is actually intending to travel to the places on the dates stated. The document is also used to show that the applicant is actually intending to make the journey back. Provide proof of intention to get back on the dates as stated on the application form (where applicable).

For example, if you have claimed in your visa application form that you are intending to come back on a certain date, but you have provided a one-way flight itinerary, then your visa application is likely to be declined because of the inconsistency of intentions.

The flight itinerary is also used to show the embassy your commitment to the travel. It serves to show the importance that you have attached to your travel plans. Sometimes some applicants are not committed to their travel plans. They end up not using the visa even after it has been issued.

For your security reasons and follow-up purposes, there may be a need for information concerning your probable whereabouts. This is either in your country of origin or the country of your destination. Sometimes the international authorities may need to keep in touch to make sure everything is okay in case of an eventuality.

IMPORTANCE OF FLIGHT ITINERARY IN VISA PROCESS FOR THE APPLICANT

Flightitinerary is an important document to applicants in the visa application process. This is because it makes them avoid making unnecessary and expensive mistakes. Some applicants have made these mistakes and have regretted later. Buying an actual air ticket for visa application purposes has led to huge losses for some visa applicants. Making an application for a visa does not mean a guarantee of being issued with one. Some of the importance attached to flight itinerary as opposed to actual flight ticket include the following;

•           Flight tickets have huge costs and fixed dates. This means that you will need to travel on the actual dates whether or not your travel visa is issued on time, delayed or denied.

•           Some airlines do not allow claiming any part of the money you spent on the ticket. This means that you will end up losing a lot of money if your visa is delayed or denied. Some airlines have punitive measures to discourage ticket cancellations. It is therefore good to have one booked for visa purposes.

•           Airlines do not accept visa delays or denials as proper grounds for ticket cancellation. Other means of transportation may also not recognize this as a reason. This means that you may end up losing a lot of your money. You may also need to buy the tickets again or never use them at all. This is depending on the outcome of your visa application exercise.

•           Sometimes there may be a genuine case for a particular country to delay its issuance of visa. This may happen even to applicants that would otherwise be an obvious “given case”. For example, in the wake of a terrorist threat. If what you wanted was a transit visa through such a country, then the suffering and loss would be immense.

Flight itinerary is therefore important to both the embassies and the applicants in the process of visa application. To avoid all these inconveniences, it is always wise to have your flight itinerary sorted out by an agency. The Schengen Flight Reservation Visa provides help to get flight itinerary document.

With assistance, you can change your travel dates, your travel airline and even some of your travel destinations. This is depending on the outcome of your visa application. If the visa application does not favor your intentions, you can cancel the flight reservations altogether. If it goes according to your expectations, you are happy to confirm your flight reservations.